Cowboys closing in on playoff berth as they hit the road to face the Bills
DALLAS (10-3) at BUFFALO (7-6)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EST, Fox
OPENING LINE: Bills by 2 1/2 according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Cowboys 9-4; Buffalo 5-8.
SERIES RECORD: Cowboys lead 8-5.
LAST MEETING: Bills beat Cowboys 26-15 at Dallas on Nov. 28, 2019.
LAST WEEK: Cowboys beat Eagles 33-13; Bills beat Chiefs 20-17.
COWBOYS OFFENSE: OVERALL (4), RUSH (11), PASS (2), SCORING (1).
COWBOYS DEFENSE: OVERALL (3), RUSH (13), PASS (5), SCORING (4).
BILLS OFFENSE: OVERALL (5), RUSH (10), PASS (5), SCORING (5).
BILLS DEFENSE: OVERALL (14), RUSH (19), PASS (11), SCORING (6).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Cowboys plus-10; Bills plus-2.
COWBOYS PLAYER TO WATCH: K Brandon Aubrey takes his NFL record of 30 consecutive field goals made to start a career back into the elements after keeping the streak alive with kicks of 60 and 59 yards indoors against the Eagles last weekend. While the forecast is mild for December in Buffalo, wind is usually a factor. The 28-year-old rookie and former Major League Soccer prospect will kick outdoors in three of the final four games of the regular season.
BILLS PLAYER TO WATCH: RB James Cook’s production has picked up in the past three games under interim coordinator Joe Brady, and especially in a receiving role by providing Josh Allen an easy outlet to counter opposing pass rushers. Cook had a career-best 83 yards receiving last week and has topped 100 yards from scrimmage in four straight outings. The second-year player is carving out a safety valve role that could prove valuable against a stout Cowboys defense that ranks fourth in the NFL in sacks per play.
KEY INJURIES: Cowboys DT Johnathan Hankins figures to miss time after spraining an ankle against the Eagles. He’s been a key to an improved run defense that was previously regarded to being the club’s biggest weakness. … Bills DE A.J. Epenesa (rib) and starting S Micah Hyde (stinger) are not expected to play after getting hurt last week.
SERIES NOTES: Two of the Cowboys’ wins over the Bills came in consecutive Super Bowl meetings to close the 1992 and ’93 seasons. Buffalo’s 30-13 loss to Dallas on Jan. 30, 1994, was the most recent Super Bowl appearance and ended the Bills’ run of losing four straight appearances. … Buffalo’s win in the teams’ most recent meeting on Thanksgiving Day in 2019 was regarded a breakout outing on a national stage for Josh Allen in his second season. Allen went 19 of 24 for 231 yards with a touchdown, and added a TD rushing. He also memorably recovered his own fumble in converting a fourth-and-1 to extend Buffalo’s go-ahead scoring drive late in the first half.
STATS AND STUFF: Dallas has won five straight and can clinch its third straight playoff berth with a win or a tie. … Since 2021, the Cowboys have the NFL’s highest point differential at plus-485, followed by Buffalo at plus-467. … Dallas is 7-0 at home, where it has scored 279 points, but 3-3 on the road, and scored 142 … The Cowboys are one 30-point game away from tying the franchise record of 10 games of at least 30 points in a season set in 2014. But the Cowboys have been held to single digits in three of their past four visits to Buffalo going back to 1984. The exception was 2007, when Dallas won 25-24 despite Tony Romo’s five interceptions. … Dallas is 9-4 against the AFC over the past three seasons, second to Philadelphia (11-4) in interconference wins by NFC teams in that span. … The Cowboys are the fourth team in the Super Bowl era to win at least eight games by at least 20 points in a season, joining Green Bay (1996), the St. Louis Rams (1999) and New England (2007). … The Cowboys lead the NFL in scoring at 32.4 points per game and are tied for the fewest giveaways with 11. … Mike McCarthy is 40-23 as coach of the Cowboys. He can become the Cowboys first coach with 41 victories in his first four seasons. … QB Dak Prescott can set a franchise record with an eighth consecutive game of at least two touchdown passes. … WR CeeDee Lamb has a career-best streak of five games with at least one TD catch. He can become the first Dallas receiver to reach six in a row since Terrell Owens in 2007. … LB Micah Parsons needs one sack for 40 in his career. Pro Football Hall of Famers Reggie White (52) and Derrick Thomas (43 1/2), along with Aldon Smith (42) and Dwight Freeney (40), are the others with at least 40 in their first three seasons. Parsons has 12 1/2 sacks this season. … CB DaRon Bland’s four-game interception streak ended against the Eagles. He still leads the NFL with eight picks. … The Bills haven’t won consecutive outings since a three-game streak spanning Weeks 2-4. … At 69-41, Sean McDermott moved into second among Bills coaches in career wins, one ahead of Lou Saban, and trailing only Hall of Famer Marv Levy (112). … Allen is 19-6 against NFC opponents, and had a five-game winning streak snapped in a 37-34 OT loss to Philadelphia on Nov. 26. … Allen’s 14 interceptions this season are one short of a matching a career high, and he’s been picked off in nine straight outings. He has a career record of 35-26 in games with a turnover, and 5-6 this season. … Buffalo’s six losses this season have been decided by a combined 26 points. The Bills’ past 11 losses have been decided by six points or fewer going back to being routed 41-15 by Indianapolis on Nov. 21, 2021. … The Bills have allowed 18 sacks, an NFL low this season, and are third in the league with 42 sacks. … Buffalo has generated nine turnovers (five forced fumbles, four interceptions) in its past five outings after a four-game stretch in which the defense managed one forced fumble.
FANTASY TIP: Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson, who has combined for 11 catches for 149 yards and a TD in his past two outings, is a worthy start. The Bills have been burned by tight ends this season and feature a banged-up secondary that will likely be without Hyde.
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